A bowl game typically won't make or break a coach's career, especially a lower-tier bowl in which motivation might be called into question.
For Gus Malzahn, though, it could determine the tenor of Auburn's offseason.
A loss to a team that's perceived as a "lesser" program to a "Group of Five" school will certainly make things a little less pleasant on the Plains, and that's exactly what the third-year head coach of the Tigers hopes to avoid when he squares off against Memphis out of the American Athletic Conference.
Malzahn will enter the 2016 season on the hot seat, and the outcome of Wednesday's Birmingham Bowl will determine the temperature of that seat between now and next fall.